1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to multimedia conferencing and more specifically to a distributed software bridge supporting a multimedia conferencing and collaboration apparatus. The apparatus provides for multi-point multi-media, multi-participatory virtual meetings realized through industry-standard communication, computing, and switching hardware means and managed, monitored, protected and controlled by software means.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In today's global multi-national business world it is not always possible or even desirable to convene a meeting in which persons from many different geographical locations are physically present in one place. It is more productive to look for cost-efficient alternatives, such as teleconferencing. For the most demanding teleconferencing applications requiring multimedia content and resources, advanced video conferencing and web conferencing solutions are available. A conference call is an efficient, inexpensive way to gather individuals and groups from multiple different locations together in a virtual meeting to converse in an orderly manner using standard communications technology. Conference calls have many common business applications, serving as a medium for staff meetings, training sessions, consultation, crisis management and more. Companies in various different industries benefit from audio conferencing. In the financial industry, for instance, corporations and investment banks commonly use conference calls for earnings releases, investor relations and stockholder meetings, as well as for the timely release of critical information through analyst calls. In sales and marketing, conference calls are an efficient medium for exchanging information on orders and pricing, forecasting industry trends and making new product announcements. Public relations firms use conference calls to make corporate announcements, issue promotional reviews and news releases and announce special events and programs. Companies in these and many other industries have recognized the benefits of using conference calls: improved communication, better dissemination of information, reduced travel costs and increased productivity.
In the field of communications, a bridge is a micro-processor controlled device which has a multiplicity of parts that can be interconnected in a variety of ways for connecting multiple telephone lines to each other. Bridges are often used to establish multi-party conference calls. As the demand for conference call services increases, improvements are needed in the flexibility, responsiveness and data carrying capability of the service. A bridge may include any number of parts which can service many calls. Currently operating conferencing systems are typically supported via hardware based conference bridges with some of the systems allowing for software-controlled bridges. Bridges are assigned to and support a conference in a non-flexible manner such that once a bridge is assigned it remains associated with the conference until the conference is terminated. As a result the number of conference participants should be determined in advance and the load on the allocated bridge is typically pre-determined. A bridge designed in such a manner does not enable dynamic bandwidth allocation during multi-participant meetings. Bridge load capacity inefficiency and bandwidth limitation makes video conferencing and multi-media conferencing difficult. Existing bridges typically support either only Personal Computer (PC) audio or phone audio but not a mixed session where some of the participants speak using a PC and others using a phone.
It would be easily perceived by one with ordinary skills in the art that in order to provide for efficient real-time multi-media multi-point teleconferencing, there is a need for a new type of conference bridge that will provide for real-time bridging, real-time data distribution, dynamic in-conference load allocation, and substantially reduced bandwidth requirements.